This tireless bloomer is best known for its small, tubular flowers, each colored in vivid orange hues and tipped with white, like the ash on a glowing cigar. Each plant creates a mass of slender branches with lance-shaped, mid-green leaves. At the tip of the branches are fireworks bursts of unusual cigarlike flowers, each 1-1/4 inches long and softly hairy. Though the flowers look orangey, they are actually colored red and shaded with green-yellow.
Noteworthy CharacteristicsCigar plant is a superlative ingredient in mixed containers. It reaches about 3 feet tall.
CarePrefers moist, moderately fertile, well-drained soil. Where not hardy, it can be overwintered as a houseplant or in a greenhouse, or used as an annual.
PropagationSow seed in early spring or in situ in late spring. Divide, or root softwood cuttings in late spring.
ProblemsWhiteflies and aphids. Prone to root rot, stem galls, dieback, powdery mildew, and a few leaf spots.
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- Genus : Cuphea
- Plant Width : 1 to 3 feet
- Plant Height : 1 to 3 feet
- Zones : 11
- Characteristics : Attracts Hummingbirds
- Uses : Containers
- Bloom Time : Early Summer, Late Summer, Summer
- Growth Rate : Fast
- Light : Full Sun to Partial Shade
- Moisture : Medium Moisture
- Flower Color : Red, White
- Plant Type : Shrubs
- Plant Seasonal Interest : Summer Interest
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